Is there a God? Blog.

The Christian Athanasian Creed

1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold a personal faith in Jesus Christ.
2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly.
3. And a personal faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity;
4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit.
8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated.
9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal.
11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal.
12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible.
13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty.
14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty.
15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God;
16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.
17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord;
18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord.
19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord;
20. So are we forbidden by the Christian religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords.
21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.
22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten.
23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.
25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another.
26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal.
27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.
29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man.
31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world.
32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting.
33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.
34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ.
35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God.
36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person.
37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;
38. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead;
39. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty;
40. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies;
42. and shall give account of their own works.
43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
44. This is the Christian faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.

Rapture, when?

In view of the tremendous interest in Biblical prophecy since the tragedy of September 11, 2001 in New York, the war in Iraq, the recent mega hurricanes in the Caribbean and the great earthquake in Pakistan, this article explores the fascinating area of Biblical prophecy for a period of history we may very well be living in, the end times.

We will first examine whether a Pre-Tribulation Rapture is Biblical with a detailed analysis of the arguments for a pre-tribulation rapture and compare them to those for a post-tribulation rapture. The fictional “Left Behind” series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins a few years ago exposed millions of readers to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture world view. Is this perspective substantiated by the teachings of Jesus, Luke, Matthew, Mark, Paul, the Book of Revelation and the Old Testament prophets or is it a hopeful myth?

In connection with the Rapture such topics as when will Jesus return, the apostasy, the mark of the beast, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, will the Church escape the tribulation, who are the “saints” and the “elect”, the issue of God’s wrath, Noah and Lot, the seven Churches in Revelation will all be looked at.

THE RAPTURE, SCRIPTURAL OR DELUSIONAL MYTH?

As tensions once again increase in the Middle East and the never ending turmoil of that cradle of civilization and birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam spreads to the very shores of the United States, American evangelicals search the Bible to see if current world events correlate with Bible prophecy and if we are close to the time when Jesus the Christ will return, bring about world peace through divine intervention (by ruling “with a rod of iron”) and usher the millennium.

Of particular interest to many evangelicals is whether true believers of Jesus Christ will be removed, the PRE TRIBULATION RAPTURE, before that seven year period of God’s judgment upon the earth known as the “Great Tribulation,” a period when an entrepreneurial, evil world tyrant, a wolf in sheep’s clothes, the Antichrist, will require all to have a “mark” on people’s right hand or their forehead in order to buy or sell (Revelation 13:16) and require all to worship his statue, a time when nation will rise against nation culminating in the great battle of Armageddon between the Kings of the East and the Antichrist and his armies, a time of great natural cataclysms when “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn (as their evil ways will be come to an abrupt end ), and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory (Matthew 24:29-30).

For Christians TRUTH is revealed in the Bible, which consists of 66 books written over 1500 years by more than 40 human authors from three continents in three languages but containing one Integrated Message System with similar ideas, themes, concepts and structure. The argument can be made that it is clear that man did not write the Bible because the Bible teaches principles which are foreign to man’s unredeemed nature. The New Testament for example represents Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God. Jesus gave us unduplicated supernatural miracles such as healing the sick, multiplying a few fish and loaves of bread to feed thousands, raising the dead, stilling a storm, delivering those in demonic bondage. But he also taught us such divine principles as turning the other cheek, forgiving those who hurt you, blessing those who curse you, principles which are contrary to man’s nature which are “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, “I don’t get mad, I get even,” “make my day” etc…

The Bible is also a book of prophecy. A major proof that the Bible was supernaturally inspired is that it contains hundreds of prophecies which have been fulfilled (see Section IV “Powerful Evidence For The Deity of Christ” under “Prophecy Fulfilled” and “The Prophetic Odds”) many which will yet be fulfilled. The Bible is the inerrant Word of God. All the prophecies in the Bible will be fulfilled. Human beings are errant. Mistakes are made by errant humans in interpreting prophecy, in trying to “put God in a box”, in misinterpreting the “signs of the times” and in being “fast of the trigger”. With respect to the second coming Jesus said no man knows the time or the hour but only the Father knows.
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... topics such as when will Jesus return, the apostasy, the mark of the beast, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, will the Church escape the tribulation, who are the “saints” and the “elect”, the issue of God’s wrath, Noah and Lot, the seven Churches in Revelation will all be looked at...continue

Psalm 2

Why do the nations rage?
Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?

The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
the rulers plot together
against the LORD
and against his anointed one.

"Let us break their chains," they cry,
"and free ourselves from this slavery."

But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
The Lord scoffs at them.

Then in anger he rebukes them,
terrifying them with his fierce fury.

For the LORD declares, "I have placed my chosen king on the throne
in Jerusalem, my holy city."

The king proclaims the LORD's decree:
"The LORD said to me, `You are my son.
Today I have become your Father.

Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
the ends of the earth as your possession.

You will break them with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.' "

Now then, you kings, act wisely!
Be warned, you rulers of the earth!

Serve the LORD with reverent fear,
and rejoice with trembling.

Submit to God's royal son, or he will become angry,
and you will be destroyed in the midst of your pursuits--
for his anger can flare up in an instant.
But what joy for all who find protection in him!

Weather Changes in Bible Prophecy

The author of this website recently gave a lecture at a university campus in Rhennes, France, on "Why Does God Allow A Tsunami?" It's a tough subject because many "good" people including Christians (lecture was from a Christian perspective) died in the January 05 Southeast Asian tsunami and in Hurricane Katrina.

Doesn't God care? (For a discussion on "Is There A God" or " Proof of God" go to www.earthharvest.org) . If God is a loving God of course he cares. He created a "good" creation (see "Creation vs. Evolution" for a discussion or the universe's origins). Genesis 1:9-10 states:

"Then God said, 'Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear'; and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good."

But we all know that tsunamis that wipe out hundreds of thousands of people and a hurricane that destroys New Orleans with hundredss of coastal inhabitants are not "good" waters. What's the problem here? Did in fact God create something which was "bad"?

In discussing the end time Jesus discusses a time when nation will rise against nation, " and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11). He goes on to say in Luke 21:25, "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heaven will be shaken. And then will they see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory."

I don't know if we are in the end times or not. Global warming seems to be baseless with 1934 as the warmest year in the past century (based on temperature data from U.S.Weather Bureau, NASA), the earth cooling from 1940-1970 when carbon dioxide emissions, the supposed cause of global warming, increased (Goddard Space Center, Columbia University), and an area which is 2% of Antarctica melting, as it has been for 6,000 years, while most of Antarctica is actually getting colder.

Perhaps the huge tides and hurricanes we are seeing, whatever their cause, are the beginning of the "birth pangs," which are the precursors of Christ's Second Coming and the Millenium, a time when global peace will reign as Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will rule with a "rod of iron" with absolute justice (no more wars, corruption, physical catastrophes, terrorism, dictatorships) . The prophesied earthquakes, especially if offshore, can create huge tidal waves and tsunamis. These climatic changes will manifest in association with political changes (see "Nostradamus vs. Bible Prophecy).

So is God evil to permit to allow this destruction? The Old Testament informs us that God created Adam and Eve and gave them free will. He could have created robots but he wanted them to have the right to rebel against even their Creator if they chose. That they did by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden (for a comprehensive discussion see "God's Love and Wrath"). And because of the rebellion of Adam and Eve the earth was cursed and death was introduced into the Creation. As a matter of fact Adam and Eve did the first killing when they killed animals to clothe themselves.

When the earth was cursed through the lies of the serpent (Satan) it no longer functioned as God meant it to function. Earth is now off kilter. There are earthquakes, fires, famines, floods, tsunamis, crashing meteors, rage and violence in the heart of man etc.

But God has not thrown us into a violent, dangerous world without a lifeline. He incarnated in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, that all those who believe in Him and accept Him will have a personal relationship with Him, spiritual peace, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life. All you have to do is pray: "Jesus, I ask you to come into my life. I accept you as my Lord. Take charge of my life. Wash me with your precious blood shed on the cross for my sins. Prove to me that you are real and protect me, my family, my community, my country from destruction."

Many, including Christians, may drown in a tsunami, a hurricane, or be buried in an earthquake, however by accepting Jesus Christ as your friend and personal savior (just ask him in your own words), as the Apostle Paul says, even if you die you will live eternally in a place called Heaven where there is no death but eternal joy in the presence of God!

WE URGE YOU TO PRAY THAT HURRICANE RITA MAY DISSIPATE AND NOT CAUSE ANY FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE GULF COAST. PRAYER WORKS. JESUS ORDERED A STORM TO BE STILL AND IT WAS. HOUSTON EXTENDED A GRACIOUS HELPING HAND TO THE VICTIMS OF KATRINA. LET’S PRAY FOR THE GOOD PEOPLE OF GALVESTON, HOUSTON AND THE WHOLE GULF AREA.

Looking for answers to questions like: Is there a god? Who is god? Is Jesus Christ the Son of God? Was I created by god or evolved? What does the bible say about witches, witchcraft, and the occult? How does Islam differ from Christianity? How do New Age practices like yoga and meditation fit in with Christianity? the answers are here on this Christian Apologetics Website, EARTH HARVEST. The purpose of this web site is to explore and answer eternal questions such as: Is there a God? Who is God? What is the nature of God? Is Jesus Christ the Son of God and as such God incarnate? Offering proof that god does exist and exploring from a Christian perspective: the issue of trust (faith), the Trinity, mystical experiences, witches and witchcraft, yoga, how New Age mysticism has crept into Christianity, the lure of the New Age, signs and wonders, the spirit of delusion, hearing from God, recognizing the Spirit of God, being born again, acquiring new eternal bodies after death, and what death holds for those who believe in Christ and those who don't. Christianity's greatest proof, the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, will be analyzed, as well as the numerous Messianic prophecies which Jesus fulfilled and the odds of such prophecies being realized by chance. The resurrection and these prophecies evidence the existence of a God outside the dimensions of space and time. Finally and most importantly, you will be shown how you can establish a personal relationship with God. A comparison of creation and evolution is made and the validity of the theory of evolution is investigated.This web site is a work of apologetics or a presentation of the beliefs and proofs of the Christian faith and their defense against theological corruption. Extensive reference is made to Mere Christianity, written by C.S. Lewis, professor of classics at Cambridge University, former agnostic, and prolific writer and Christian apologist, who had a unique gift of explaining important issues simply and clearly.